American Idol

Amber Valetta lives the dream

As a vice president at the elite fashion public- relations firm KCD, Rachna Shah is the keeper of the keys to the toniest fashion events in the world. But Shah would skip all the Marc Jacobs bashes, the Versace runway shows, and the Prada store parties just to catch American Idol.

"I have to say, thank God for DVR," says Shah. She and her boss, KCD president Ed Filipowski, are so obsessed with American Idol that they a) persuaded the CFDA to hire season-three winner Fantasia Barrino to open its annual awards ceremony in 2004, b) couriered to Europe tapes of the episodes they missed during Fashion Week in Paris and Milan, and c) have attended the show's live finale at the Kodak Theatre in L.A. — twice.

There's, of course, some irony to this. Filipowski and Shah have spent their careers image-making for such glamorous, influential designers as Phoebe Philo, Zac Posen, and Tom Ford. But here they are breathing heavy about a show that last season featured an overweight woman named Margaret Fowler, who, dressed in canary-yellow feathered tunic and capri pants, had no bones about flirtatiously shaking her belly for Simon Cowell in front of 33 million viewers.

"Oh, please. Who cares if it's chic?" says Filipowski, a self-proclaimed sucker for the American success story. "It's entertainment!"

It's not surprising that fashion folk might be reluctant to admit their passion for American Idol. After all, the show, whose seventh season begins in January, is about as democratic as it gets. History has shown us that fashion people tend to pretend not to like things that everyone else seems to enjoy. Like dessert. Still, stylish watchers like designer Michael Kors and restaurateur Eva Chow are proud to declare their obsession.

"I don't think watching American Idol is anything to be embarrassed about," explains Chow, who likes to do a little karaoke from time to time. "I watch it a lot because of my daughter, Asia, who's 13. I love the singing and the judges' comments. I love that they're going for the American dream."

"I'm very public about how obsessed I am," says Kors, who took his mania a step further when he went to see Fantasia perform in the Broadway musical The Color Purple. "In a world of hype, it's nice to see real talent. And besides, no one has to eat a bug to win."

In other words, it's an old standby that never goes out of style. "American Idol is fashionable because we've never tried to be fashionable," says judge and executive producer Simon Cowell. "That's the secret. Being too current or trendy is a bad trap to fall into." It's a sentiment shared by host Ryan Seacrest: "We try so hard not to try."

Of course, there are any number of reasons why fashion people fall in love with a singing competition that recalls a Girl Scout talent show. The camp value: Who could resist the sheer audacity of Sanjaya Malakar, the man of many hairstyles? The fairy-tale-wonderment factor: The transformation from nobody to pop star is the equivalent of putting on a Chanel couture gown. And, on a more cynical level, the whole show is based on snap hypercritical judgments. Could anything be closer to a fashion lover's heart?

"There's something so wonderfully tacky about the beginning stages of the contest," says judge Paula Abdul, who wonders why there has yet to be an American Idol fashion line. She singles out the night, in 2004, when Jennifer Hudson wore a "geisha dress" made by a friend of the now Academy Award–winning actress. It was, says Abdul, a "hideous ensemble. I don't remember the song Jennifer sang, but I do remember that outfit." Cowell adds, "I like seeing awful outfits because they give us something to talk about. It makes better television."

Fellow judge Randy Jackson agrees that the contenders have very little understanding of how to dress. "You have to have an eye for what looks good," says Jackson, who thinks his show is chic because "the Dawg" — meaning himself — "is on it." "You and I could probably go to Wal-Mart and whip up something hot," he says. Not so, he guesses, for your average Idol wannabe.

"You see a big slice of America on the show, much the same as when you go to an airport," says designer James Mischka. Mischka's partner, Mark Badgley, points out that the egalitarianism is actually "very refreshing." On one episode last season, Sanjaya mentioned that the contestants had $400 to spend on an outfit. How can you not look great for $400 was Sanjaya's assessment. "I didn't think it was a lot of money," says season-five finalist Katharine McPhee. "I mean, it is if you shop at Forever 21, but you need great shoes." Badgley adds, "In our world, a pair of shoes is $1,000."

In May, Badgley and Mischka, both fans of the show, but only enough "to push dinner a bit earlier," brought a bit of haute couture to the reality series. They dressed last season's star Jordin Sparks for the finale, which she won. The exposure was incomparable. Mischka recalls they got 10,000 e-mails about that gown, even from "some of the snottiest fashionistas."

"I felt like a princess," says Sparks of wearing the dress, noting that it was by far the most expensive thing in her wardrobe.

Based on Badgley Mischka's success and the show's ever-increasing ratings, perhaps future Idols will be more well versed in Manolos and Carolina Herrera. In the meantime, says season-four winner Carrie Underwood, "Real people living out their dreams will never go out of fashion."

Continues Jackson, "Maybe for those fashion people, it hurts them to love us, but we're easy to love. We are easy to love."

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